Let's Get Together
by lucybd
Summary: After the events of Pot O Gold, the New Directions didn't have enough members to compete at Sectionals. And Rachel blamed Shelby. SPOILERS for Season 3. AU after Episode 4.


Shelby heard footsteps on the stage and glanced up from the piano. She was surprised to see Rachel. She hadn't talked to Rachel since…since Rachel told her there wasn't a place for them. Maybe Rachel changed her mind.

Shelby turned to face Rachel, giving her a small smile. "Hey, Rachel."

"You know how much the New Directions means to me. How could you poach Mercedes and Santana and Brittany?" Rachel said. It came off as more of an accusation than a statement.

_Oh._ Oh. Maybe Rachel hadn't changed her mind after all. Rachel wasn't here because she wanted Shelby to be in her life. Rachel was just angry.

"I didn't poach anyone," Shelby said defensively. "They came to me."

"We don't have enough members to compete and Sectionals is only a month away. This isn't how senior year Glee was supposed to be. Your little glee club is ruining everything," Rachel muttered.

"Rachel-"

"McKinley already has a Glee Club, okay?" Rachel said, her voice a little higher than normal.

"Rachel-" Shelby tried again. She wanted to defend herself, to explain, but Rachel wouldn't let her get a word in edgewise.

"You got everything you wanted. You wanted a family and Quinn gave you her baby. You were supposed to be in New York with Beth. What are you doing back here? Besides ruining my life." Rachel glared at her.

Shelby stood up, giving her a few inches on Rachel. She was calm, but there was an edge in her eyes. "It wasn't my idea to start another glee club. If I didn't agree to coach it, they would have found another coach, and Mercedes and Santana and Brittany still would have left the New Directions."

Rachel frowned at her. She needed someone to blame, and it had been so easy to blame Shelby. Shelby had started the Trouble Tones, after all. And three members of the New Directions left to join the Trouble Tones. She knew Shelby was probably right, but she didn't want to hear it.

"I thought teaching here was a good idea," Shelby said softly. She knew her daughter didn't agree with her. And Rachel snorted, as if to make sure she knew.

Shelby took a deep breath. "McKinley is where Beth's birth parents are and where you are. I want Noah and Quinn to be a part of Beth's life, and I want to make things right with you."

"Well, I'm glad Noah and Quinn are gonna be a part of Beth's life," Rachel said, her voice even now. "But it's too late for us. I would really appreciate it if you would just leave me and the New Directions alone."

Rachel turned around and quickly walked out the way she came.

Shelby watched Rachel leave, wondering if there was anything she could say to stop her. She didn't know what to say.

* * *

><p>Rachel had only taken a few steps out of the auditorium when Quinn grabbed her arm and pulled her into the girl's bathroom<p>

"Quinn, what are you doing?" Rachel asked warily.

Quinn studied Rachel, finally nodding her head once and smirking slightly. "You can help me."

"How can I help you?" Rachel asked.

"It's perfect. I don't know why I didn't see it before," Quinn said, more to herself than to Rachel.

"What?" Rachel asked impatiently.

"Shelby, she wants to spend time with you," Quinn said finally.

"Well, I don't want to spend time with her," Rachel said.

Quinn gave Rachel her best HBIC stare. "You have to do something with her so Puck and I can babysit Beth."

"I just said that I don't want to spend time with her! Why should I?" Rachel said indignantly. "You don't need me. Shelby wants you and Noah to be a part of Beth's life."

"Then why hasn't she asked us to babysit again?" Quinn wondered.

"I don't know," Rachel replied.

"We need to spend time with her now, so she's comfortable with us when we get her back," Quinn said.

"Wait, what? Quinn-"

Quinn smiled at her. "We're friends, right?"

Rachel nodded.

"If I tell you this, you can't tell anyone," Quinn said.

"Okay," Rachel said hesitantly.

"Puck and I, we're getting Beth back. We left a few things in Shelby's condo when we babysat that will make her look like an unfit parent, and I called Child Protective Services," Quinn said.

Rachel suddenly wished she hadn't promised Quinn that she wouldn't tell anyone. She knew it was one promise she wouldn't be able to keep. The burden of Quinn's secret was too great to bear. It made her feel sick to her stomach.

"Quinn, that's awful," Rachel said finally. It was all she could say.

Quinn shrugged. "Yeah, well, she's my daughter."

"Yeah, that you gave to my mom!" Rachel pointed out.

"And I want her back now. She's perfect and she's mine," Quinn said, an edge to her voice.

"Did you ever think that maybe she's perfect because of Shelby?" Rachel asked, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. "I mean…maybe Shelby's a good mom."

Rachel didn't know why she was defending Shelby. It wasn't like Shelby had been a good mom to her. Shelby told her that she _wasn't_ her mom.

"Is that why she gave you up for money?" Quinn scoffed.

Rachel sucked in a breath.

"I'm sorry," Quinn said immediately, her voice filled with regret.

"No- it's okay. You're right. I have to go," Rachel said, turning around and pushing open the door to the girl's bathroom.

"Wait," Quinn called, but Rachel had already disappeared into the crowded hallway.

* * *

><p>Shelby didn't know if Will was angry, too. Three of his kids had left his glee club for hers. She was nervous as she sat down across at the table in the teacher's lounge.<p>

"We haven't talked since Mercedes and Santana and Brittany left the New Directions. I hope you know I kept my word," Shelby said.

"I know you didn't recruit anyone-"

Shelby breathed a sigh of relief and smiled slightly. "That's good. I thought you'd be angry. Rachel is. She said I ruined her life."

"Yeah, well, that's Rachel. She's overdramatic. She gets that from you," Will said.

Shelby frowned. It was weird that the daughter she didn't raise was so much like her. Bittersweet.

"I don't care what Rachel said. I know they left because of me. Not you," Will continued.

"No, no no. It's not your fault. They're talented. They just want a chance to take center stage during their senior year," Shelby said quickly. "Did you get your letter?"

Will nodded. "Rachel's right about one thing, you know. Right now neither of our teams has enough kids to compete."

"Do you think more kids will join before the competition?" Shelby asked, meeting hiz gaze.

"Honestly? No." Will shook his head. "The Glee Club at McKinley isn't like the Glee Club at Carmel. We've always had a hard time coming up with enough kids to compete."

"Why?" Shelby asked.

"You know, when I started coaching, it had been years since the Glee Club won. No one wanted to join," Will said. "Finn only joined because I blackmailed him."

Shelby laughed. "Will Schuester blackmailed a student?"

"It's not something I'm proud of," Will said.

"Don't beat yourself up. We all do things we're not proud of," Shelby said.

"You know, I really thought we could win Nationals this year, and now I don't even know if we can compete at Sectionals," Will muttered.

Damn. Shelby didn't want Will or her daughter to miss the competition. Will had been nothing but nice to her. And Rachel was- _Rachel. _

"So why don't we win Nationals? Together?" Shelby said.

Will bit his bottom lip. "I don't know if the kids will agree to that."

"Oh, I think they will," Shelby said confidently.

Shelby wasn't stupid. She didn't expect the kids to love the idea, but she was fairly certain they would agree. Even Rachel.

Shelby hadn't known if Rachel would ever speak to her again after the scene in the auditorium, but now Rachel wouldn't have a choice.

* * *

><p><em>No.<em> No. Rachel wasn't ready to see Shelby again, but Shelby was there-in her auditorium-singing a duet with Mr. Schue.

"Mr. Schue, Shelby, I think we can all admit that that was weirdly amazing, but what exactly was the point?" Rachel asked, stepping forward and looking at Mr. Schue for the answer.

"That sometimes bringing together two conflicting things can create something totally unexpected," Mr. Schue replied.

"We're not combining glee clubs, Mr. Schue," Mercedes said firmly.

Will frowned and looked at Shelby.

"Do you want to go to Sectionals?" Shelby said evenly, looking around and finally stopping when her eyes locked with Mercedes'. Mercedes looked down, staring at the stage floor.

"I think Shelby and Mr. Schue are right. I want to combine glee clubs, so we can go to Sectionals," Quinn said confidently.

Rachel looked up in surprise, her eyes wide, but Quinn avoided making eye contact with her. Quinn wanted Shelby to be her coach. She wanted to get closer to Shelby, so she could spend more time with Beth.

Shelby's face was blank, but she narrowed her eyes at Quinn. "We're gonna vote. Mr. Schue and I both agreed," Shelby said.

"All in favor of combining glee clubs?" Mr. Schue asked.

Almost everyone raised their hands, though Santana only raised hers because of Brittany. Mercedes was the only one who didn't raise her hand.

"Majority rules. That means we are combining glee clubs," Shelby said.

* * *

><p>Rachel waited outside Shelby's classroom the next morning before school started. The door was locked, so she leaned against the wall.<p>

Rachel knew she had to tell Shelby what Quinn and Noah did. She couldn't let Shelby lose Beth. Not because of them. Everything that Shelby had done to her- it didn't matter. Quinn and Noah were wrong. And Rachel knew better.

She heard the click of Shelby's heels on the floor. She stood up straighter and slowly met Shelby's gaze.

Shelby's face was neutral, but her eyes widened in surprise. "Hey, Rachel."

"Hi," Rachel said quietly.

Shelby unlocked the door, held it open for Rachel. Rachel followed her in.

"Close the door," Rachel said.

Rachel didn't want anyone to hear them? That couldn't be good. Shelby sighed, but closed the door behind her. She made her way to her desk and sat down, waiting for Rachel to start.

Rachel looked conflicted. She was biting her bottom lip and fidgeting with her necklace.

"I need to tell you something," Rachel said finally.

"Go on," Shelby said softly.

"Quinn wants Beth back," Rachel blurted out.

Shelby laughed. "Rachel, I'm not going to give my daughter to her."

"I know. And so does she. She wants Child Protective Services to take Beth away," Rachel explained. "When Noah and Quinn babysat, they left things that would make you look like an unfit parent and Quinn called Child Protective Services."

Shelby couldn't believe Noah and Quinn would do that. She was mad. But she wasn't worried.

"And she just thinks Child Protective Services will give Beth to her?" Shelby said, knowing she was wrong.

Rachel nodded.

Dumb. That was really stupid. Of course Shelby didn't know why she was surprised. This was the same kid who got pregnant when she was sixteen.

Shelby was done with Quinn. Done.

Rachel knew what Quinn did. Rachel _knew._

"How long have you known that she did that to me?" Shelby asked.

"Quinn told me yesterday," Rachel replied. "They're my friends, but what they did was wrong."

"I know it couldn't have been easy to tell me what your friends did. I'm proud of you," Shelby said softly.


End file.
